Hongdae sushi lunch with Mom: 12cm long-tail pieces at Yu Iksang

What kind of sushi restaurant is Yu Iksang Sushi in Hongdae?

Yu Iksang Sushi (유익상스시) is a Hongdae sushi restaurant where each slice of fish is long and big enough to make three pieces of sushi. Instagram friends... do you know the long-tail sushi?? hehe

Even sashimi restaurants don't slice it that long, but Yu Iksang Sushi is different.. The one slice of fish on each piece looks like it could make three, so big that even one piece is hard to chew, and all you can do is laugh in disbelief.

Where is Yu Iksang Sushi?

Yu Iksang Sushi is close to the KFC at Hongik Univ. Station, in the back alley right behind Seogyo Elementary School. It's the long alley where the school meets Seogyo Prugio, right next to the cake shop that was opening up.

• Location: 1st floor, Sinhwa Building, 18-7 Wausan-ro 23-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
• Note: It's tucked inside an alley in the busy Hongdae area, so I recommend following a map

What time should you go for lunch at Yu Iksang Sushi to avoid a wait?

For lunch at Yu Iksang Sushi, you have to get there before 11:30-12:00 to eat without a wait. The shop isn't big, a small place that seats about 5 groups, so you really need to run there haha

The comics are really well done too, and once I start reading them I lose track of time lol. Then the owner kindly brings over the salad and water and says, "I'll make it deliciously for you!" It really inspires trust, and it's a place that makes my heart flutter and look forward to every visit.

Is Yu Iksang Sushi good for solo meals or family outings?

Yu Iksang Sushi has bar-style tables, so many people come to eat alone, and there were lots of people in their 20s coming with their mom, hand in hand. Some came with a foreign friend and happily ate gimbap sushi (seaweed rice roll-style sushi), shouting "amazing" several times about how delicious it was. So cute... haha

What comes in the Couple A set at Yu Iksang Sushi?

The Couple A set at Yu Iksang Sushi includes long-tail salmon and white fish sushi, beef sushi, spicy shrimp sushi, egg, tuna, aburi (lightly torch-seared sushi), fried shrimp and soba (buckwheat noodles). The Couple A finally arrived, and wow~ every time I see it I'm amazed at this spread of sushi.

The salmon and white fish sushi are really.... long-tail sushi, and the length must be a good 12 centimeters.

There's beef sushi too, and from spicy shrimp to egg to tuna, you can say this Couple A has everything!

Starting with the long-tail red drum and salmon sushi

I wondered what to eat first, but the long-tail sushi has to come first, right? hehe Red drum and salmon... wow! Even just these 4 pieces would be enough to leave full. With the garlic mecha aburi and the crab stick aburi, it feels like every kind you could try anywhere else is here.

Fried shrimp and soba too: is it good value?

And fried shrimp and soba too!!! With this spread, the price isn't a waste at all. At first you might think, two people, is that a bit much? But once you try it, you'll know.

You'll feel the owner's generosity and the care from long years of research, and you'll probably think it's actually a steal.

What does the free grilled eggplant at Yu Iksang Sushi taste like?

While I was eating like crazy at Yu Iksang Sushi, the owner gave me grilled eggplant topped with seasoned sauce as a free extra, and even though it's eggplant, it felt like eating meat. Before that, aged kimchi and raw fish met the fluffy rice, and I felt like this moment could just stop right here.

Maybe the owner was pleased to see how deliciously and frantically I was eating, because he gave me a free dish. It was eggplant, so I went "huh?", but what do you know, it felt like eating meat.

You've never seen seasoned sauce on grilled eggplant, have you? It's the owner's creation, which you can try at Yu Iksang Sushi, a Hongdae sushi favorite~ hehe~

Can two people finish the Couple A set with Mom?

Mom and I finished the whole Couple A set at Yu Iksang Sushi and, as always, walked out hugging our bellies after a stuffed lunch. Mom said we were amazing for eating all of it, that this is the side effect when food is good, and that we should skip dinner and eat light.

I fully enjoyed the Couple A set at Yu Iksang Sushi in Hongdae today, and the lineup was so solid from start to finish that I kept thinking "I'm so glad I came." Besides the fresh texture of the raw fish, every item in the set tasted like the chef's care, which made the meal even better.

The atmosphere is also just right for a cozy chat for two, so I understood right away why Yu Iksang Sushi is known as a date spot too.